Business & Technology
Phoenix ranks seventh in UK Best Workplaces for development
Phoenix Software has been named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development by Great Place to Work, ranking seventh in the large company category.
The result improves on Phoenix’s previous position of 11th and extends a run of workplace recognitions for the York-based technology reseller and services provider.
Great Place to Work bases the ranking on confidential employee feedback rather than external judging. To qualify, organisations must score at least 65% on a development index drawn from five employee measures: training, access to resources, fairness in promotion, the absence of managerial favouritism, and trust in management.
The responses test whether staff believe they have meaningful opportunities to progress and whether workplace systems support that progression.
Phoenix said its approach to employee development centres on regular manager contact and individual plans. All employees have monthly one-to-one meetings with line managers, alongside personal development plans to track training, goals and potential progression.
It added that promotion decisions are based on merit and potential rather than tenure. That reflects several of the survey statements used in the ranking, including whether promotions go to those who most deserve them and whether managers avoid favouritism.
Workplace ranking
The latest recognition adds to a broader set of workplace awards for Phoenix. Earlier this year, it placed fourth in the large company category on the UK’s Best Workplaces list, and it has also appeared in rankings focused on the technology sector and on women in the workplace.
Phoenix operates in software licensing, hardware, software asset management and managed IT services. It says it has more than 30 years of experience and works with customers on IT strategy, deployment, licence management, cost control, artificial intelligence and cyber security.
The ranking is significant in part because labour retention and skills development have become more prominent issues across the UK technology sector. Employers have faced pressure to show clear progression routes and stronger internal development as competition for experienced staff remains intense.
For companies in IT services and software sales, staff development can also affect customer relationships. Teams often need to keep pace with changing vendor programmes, compliance requirements and new technologies, meaning training and internal mobility have direct operational consequences.
Phoenix’s result suggests its workforce rated the company strongly on those development measures compared with peers in the large company category. Great Place to Work’s methodology puts employee perception at the centre of the ranking, making staff sentiment the deciding factor.
That distinguishes the list from honours based on written submissions or judging panels. In this case, the outcome depended on how Phoenix employees assessed day-to-day management practices and their own prospects for growth within the company.
In a statement accompanying the recognition, Clare Metcalfe, managing director of Phoenix, outlined the company’s view of development.
“We are immensely proud to be recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development for another year. But this is more than a badge; we see it as a baseline that we’re determined to keep building upon. We remain committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, supported and inspired to do their best work. We’re continuing to invest in the tools, structures and culture that make Phoenix a place where people can build careers, not just fill roles. This is because we believe that when our people thrive, the organisation thrives. The best outcomes for our customers come from a team that’s genuinely fulfilled, growing and proud of where they work,” Metcalfe said.
Celebrating both GCSE and A-Level Results Days, the chain will offer the popular dish to students who buy one of its bubble teas.
The free offer is available at all 42 Rosa’s Thai restaurants across England and Wales.
To avail of the free noodles, students need to register on Rosa’s Thai website for a unique code, which they should present at the restaurant together with a copy of their results.
Rosa’s Thai has a new range of bubble tea flavours, including Ube-Taro, Matcha-Coconut, Mango Sticky Rice, and Milo Chocolate Milk, as well as favourites like Home-brewed Thai Tea with Tapioca, and Lychee Mango with mango boba.
Students can sign up for their free Pad Thai at rosasthai.com/result-day-free-pad-thai and find their nearest restaurant at rosasthai.com/locations.
The London Mint Office, which distributes commemorative coins and medals, appointed administrators on July 31 after 20 years in business.
The company’s website now displays a message confirming the appointment of Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP as joint administrators.
A spokesman for Alvarez and Marsal said: “On July 31 2026, Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of The London Mint Office Limited in administration (the “Company”).
“Regrettably, the Company’s liquidity challenges have led to a number of immediate redundancies. We are supporting the affected employees through the redundancy process.
What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration?
“The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability.”
The announcement confirms that it is no longer possible to purchase coins or medals through the company’s website.
The London Mint Office operates a distribution centre in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where it employs a significant number of people.
Administration is a formal insolvency process triggered when a business cannot meet its financial obligations.
An insolvency practitioner is appointed to manage the company’s affairs and may attempt to restructure the business or sell off assets to repay creditors.
What happens when a company goes into Liquidation?
Founded in 2006, The London Mint Office describes itself as “one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of historic, commemorative, and collector coins.”
It is part of Samlerhuset AS, a Norwegian company based near Oslo and one of Europe’s largest distributors of commemorative coins and medals.
Samlerhuset’s website states that it offers “provide a wide range of coins from ancient to modern, originating from virtually every country in the world.”
The London Mint Office has advised anyone with an interest in the company’s assets to contact the administrators at INS_THLMOL@alvarezandmarsal.com.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that both discounters should be added to the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which currently applies to Asda, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
This order is designed to prevent large grocery retailers from using land agreements to block competitors from opening nearby stores, often through restrictive covenants or exclusivity terms.
Juliette Enser, executive director of competition enforcement and markets at the CMA, said: “We want everyone to have the best choice of supermarket and range of prices when buying their groceries.
“To ensure this happens, we put rules in place to prevent big supermarket chains blocking rival stores from opening nearby – and now we propose applying those rules to Aldi and Lidl too.
“This is about allowing shoppers to choose where they spend their money and levelling the playing field for all major supermarkets.
“Today’s proposals are provisional and we welcome views before deciding the best way forward.”
The CMA’s review found that Aldi, Lidl GB, and Lidl NI now meet the criteria of ‘Large Grocery Retailers’ (LGRs) due to their store footprint, nationwide presence, procurement model, and the breadth of their grocery range.
Aldi and Lidl were originally excluded from the 2010 order as ‘limited assortment discounters’, offering a smaller selection of products compared to traditional supermarkets.
However, the CMA’s provisional findings indicate that this is no longer the case.
All three now operate large grocery stores, each with more than 1,000 square metres of shop floor space, and offer a full range of products, though with less category choice than some competitors.
They also purchase goods directly from suppliers through integrated wholesaling.
With the UK grocery market estimated to be worth £215 billion, Aldi and Lidl are now ranked among the top five retailers by market share.
The CMA is seeking feedback from stakeholders before reaching a final decision.
Aldi and Lidl could join the other supermarket chains later this year.
The CMA is inviting views until 5pm on Monday, September 7, 2026, and will issue its final decision in the autumn after reviewing responses.
If the discounters are included under the order, they will be prevented from using land agreements to limit competition from other supermarket chains.
The CMA aims to ensure competition across the grocery sector to give shoppers more choice and competitive pricing by removing obstacles to new store openings.
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